On the Jurisdictional Situations of Arctic Large Marine Ecosystems

The Arctic Council has identified and delineated 18 large marine ecosystems (LMEs) to provide a basis for the implementation of the ecosystem approach to management (EAM) in the Arctic. However, the ‘natural boundaries’ of these LMEs largely misalign with the ‘artificial boundaries’ established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This raises the question of how EAM could be effectively implemented across diverse and multiple jurisdictions of the Arctic LMEs. By visualising the so-called jurisdictional situation of all 18 Arctic LMEs, this food-for-thought article highlights the inequitable and delicate position that the zonal approach of UNCLOS creates for the protection of Arctic LMEs.